95 year old recovers from cancer surgery and message from Deputy Director of K Hospital

In March 2024, Ms. Hoang Thi Lien (95 years old, Nam Dinh) had a stomachache and bloody stools but subjectively did not go to the doctor. When these signs became more frequent and she had abdominal pain, she went to the hospital for a check-up.

As a result, Ms. Lien had a sigmoid colon tumor that occupied almost the entire colon. “Although the patient was old, after assessing the local damage, there was no metastasis, and the patient's health was stable. After consultation, we decided to perform surgery to remove the tumor, helping the patient to be more comfortable in daily life and improve the quality of life,” said Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Van Binh, Deputy Director of K Hospital.

After 3 hours, the surgical team removed the 5cm lesion and preserved healthy cells. The surgery was successful, the patient recovered well and is expected to be discharged after 7 days of treatment.

“This is not a rare case at K Hospital,” Associate Professor Binh said. In recent times, the hospital has successfully performed surgery on many patients over 80 and 90 years old with cancer.

95-year-old woman recovers after surgery to remove colon tumor.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Pham Van Binh, cancer is not the end, even for the elderly. Usually, families with patients over 80 years old have the mentality of giving up and not getting treatment.

Age is one of the issues to consider when treating cancer, but patients should not give up too quickly. If conditions allow and ensure the technique, surgery should still be performed to help prolong the patient's life.

The success of the above case shows great progress in techniques and anesthesia and resuscitation during and after surgery. Surgery for cancer patients, especially elderly patients, requires a close combination of preoperative care, surgery, anesthesia and resuscitation, and post-operative intensive care to ensure the best safety for the patient.

Cancer treatment is a multimodal treatment. According to research by the World Health Organization as well as domestic research, it has been proven that cancer treatment when diagnosed at an early stage brings good results, not only prolonging life to the maximum, but also minimizing treatment costs.

If cancer in general and rectal cancer in particular is diagnosed at an early stage, it is a very good prognostic factor for both the patient and the doctor.

In Vietnam in general and K Hospital in particular, early stage cancer diagnosis accounts for only 20-30%. The remaining 70-80% are in the advanced stage, that is, stage 3, stage 4. This requires medical staff and the community to better propagate cancer, especially communication about cancer screening.

To prevent digestive tract cancer, doctors recommend limiting intake of fat from animal protein; supplementing with adequate fiber from barley, fruits, fresh vegetables, vitamins E, C, and A; and maintaining an active lifestyle and exercising regularly.

People with a history of chronic colitis or gastritis, or a family member who has had gastrointestinal cancer (esophagus, stomach, colon), or symptoms of unexplained weight loss, constipation, bloating, bloody stools, or vomiting blood should see a doctor immediately for screening, timely detection and treatment.

Even when cancer is detected in elderly patients, even over 80 or 90 years old, one should still be determined to cooperate with cancer specialists so as not to miss the best treatment opportunity.

LIKE LOAN

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